30 Days of Vegan: Week One ● by Jess

So, being vegan is hard. Actually, let me rephrase that. Being vegan easy, documenting every darn thing you eat is a nightmare. I've done my best on this one guys, but you definitely tell my photography gets shoddy by the end of the week. We'll have to see if I can keep it up for the next.... three... weeks :(

Regardless, its been a fun experience and I definitely feel great! It has certainly made me look at food in a whole new way. :)

Day One

Breakfast: Raspberry Sunrise Protein Smoothie + Oat Barley Porridge with Brown Sugar

Raspberry Sunrise Protein Smoothie
1/2 cup Soy milk
1/4 cup almonds
1 1/2 cups orange juice (I use the reduced sugar kind)
1/2 medium banana
1/2 raspberries
1/2 cup Vega protein powder

I usually blend the almonds and juice together first and then add the remaining ingredients.

Oat and Barley Porridge

I use a store bought blend of jumbo porridge oats, cut porridge oats, and barley flakes (1/2 cup dry) and prepare as per instructions. This seems like a lovely alternative if you can't buy it already mixed together.

Lunch: Tangerine Avocado Salad with Dressing

Tangerine Avocado Salad
1 Tangerine
1/2 Avocado
1 cup butter lettuce
1 cup pea shoots

Toss together. Drizzle balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

Snack: Pumpkin Seeds + Veggy Sticks with Hummus

*Important Fact* Pumpkin Seeds are packed with protein!!

Dinner and Dessert: Hot Pot Style Asian Soup + Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Hot Pot Asian Style Soup

This is a very simple and quick recipe. I take:
1 carton Vegetable Broth
1-2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs Olive Oil

Cook all together then, just a few minutes before serving, add in a cup of rice noodles. I then set out a variety of ingredients for everyone to add in. Here we had sweet bell peppers, carrots, snap peas and green onions. You put the vegetables in the bowl then spoon the broth and noodles over the top.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

1 package Silken tofu - there isn't a lot of variety of tofu here, so I couldn't specify "firm silken," which is ideal
1 vegan chocolate bar (I just use really dark chocolate, which is vegan), melted in double boiler
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup soy or almond milk
1/4-1/2 cup agave or other sweetener

I melted the chocolate, then stuck it in the blender with everything else. It wasn't mixing together the way I wanted, so I put all the ingredients back in the double boiler until it was all smooth and delicious. 

Place in the fridge for at least an hour to set up. I would recommend cutting down the about of milk, as ours was  runnier then I would have liked (perhaps just 2 Tbs would do the trick)

Day Two

Breakfast: Blueberry Kale Smoothie + Pecan Granola with Soy Milk

Blueberry Kale Smoothie + 1/2 scoop Vega

I used this recipe though added more blueberries and substituted low sugar orange juice instead of dates.

Lunch: Tomato Pumpkin Seed Green Salad with Dressing

Just a basic green salad with cherry tomatoes, toasted pumpkin seeds and a dressing of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic vinegar and salt

Dinner: Vegan Sushi Roalls

I have to say, I am really proud of how these came out. They are so darn pretty! AH! And to be honest, once you dunk them in soy sauce, I couldn't tell the difference between them and a California roll. You get that briney flavor from the nori, a crunch from the cucumber and bell pepper, a smooth, creamy finish with the sushi rice and avocado. YUM!

Vegan Sushi

*Note* Don't try to skimp on the sushi rice. Get the real stuff, it will be at the supermarket, I promise. I've tried before with different long grain rices and it was a miserable failure.

Day Three

Breakfast: Banana Coconut Smoothie + Pecan Granola with Soymilk

*Important Fact* Pumpkin Seeds are packed with protein!!

Banana Coconut Smoothie

1 1/2 frozen Bananas
1 cup coconut water
1/2 scoop vega
1/2 cup low sugar orange juice

Blend!

Lunch: Pumpkin "Muffins" with Chocolate Chips

Aside from the fact that these are actually kind of bordering on dessert, I ate one...er, four... four lunch. I realized after mixing the batter together that I actually don't own a muffin tin (its still back in NYC in storage), so I made due with the embarrassing number of ramekins I now own (procured after I realized our grocery store sells the most incredible creme brulee on the planet). It worked out pretty well!

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Dinner: Vegetable Stir-fry over Wild Grain Rice

Pretty easy dinner on this one... Sauteed broccoli, carrots, bell peppers and almonds together with a stir fry sauce (most kind you buy at the store is vegan). Served it over a blend of wild and basmati rice.

Day Four

Breakfast: Banana Nut Oatmeal

Cook oatmeal to package (rolled oats) directions then topped off with sliced banana, chopped almonds and brown sugar.

Lunch: Apple Kale Smoothie + Spelt and Peanut Butter

I used this recipe, minus celery (the idea of liquified celery makes me want to gag). I used more Kale than it asked for. I was surprised by how incredible it tasted, although it was one of those smoothies you kind of have the "chew," which I wasn't expecting. 

Now to spelt... there is a very serious lack of good crackers around here. I thought spelt would be a fantastic, healthy alternative. WRONG! Its like chewing on petrified cardboard. Suffered through it, but won't be doing it again.

Dinner and Dessert: Thai Coconut Red Lentil Soup + Soy Ice cream with Blueberries

Thai Coconut Red Lentil Soup 
Used this recipe, substituting butter for olive oil. 

This was my first time with soy ice cream. It was surprisingly rich and creamy, which is very much unlike regular British ice cream (which is not unlike frozen Cool-whip). It tasted exactly like cake batter ice cream, which is admittedly not my favorite. Jon was happy to finish it off :)

Day Five

Brunch: Beans on Toast with a Balsamic Reduction Sauce

I've been wanting to do an update on this British classic for awhile now. When you go to the market there is literally a whole wall of baked beans because it is such a common breakfast food for Brits. 

I just cooked up a can of cannelli beans with chopped up cherry tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and a tbs of brown sugar in a sauce pan. I cut up some bread and toasted it in the oven with a bit of oil then served the beans on top. 

Over the whole dish I drizzled a Balsamic reduction, which added an extra sweet, tangy kick. 

Dinner: Dopiaza Indian Curry over Rice + Corn on the Cob

I'm afraid I cheated a bit on this one, using a store bought curry (Dopiaza). I roast off baby yellow potatoes and chopped up carrots in the oven with oil and garlic and add them to the sauce. I have found this is great way to not miss the meat in these dishes. It has the right texture and substance to hit the spot. 

Served over a basmatic and wild rice blend. We had corn on the cob as well, as per Jon's request. 

Day Six

Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Porridge

An admittedly terrible photo, but still tasty. Prepared porridge to instructions then added shopped apples and sprinkled with cinnamon. 

Snack: Popcorn Muddy Buddies

The perfect Conference snack! Muddy Buddy Popcorn.

Snack: Sweet Pepper and Corn Risotto with Green Beans

Had we been following my little vegan-map-around-the-world, we would have had a Russian mushroom barley soup. However, Jon and I both were not feeling much in a soupy kind of mood, so instead I made a sweet pepper and corn risotto with green beans.  

Day Seven

Very busy day! Didn't get a chance to record breakfast (cereal and soymilk) or lunch (a basic fruit salad). Both were tasty, but not terribly exciting :)

Snack: Falafel Sandwiches on Flatbread

For dinner I made Spinach Falafel balls which I served over tomatoes, coriander, onions, and lettuce all rolled up into a tasty flatbread. I was going to have an avocado cucumber sauce over the top, but when I pulled out the avocado, it had gone bad. So I just tossed the tomatoes and onions in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Would have been taster with a creamy sauce, but it was still lovely. 

Well, there you go! That was week one! We're feeling great, although I don't know that there will be as many photos next week. Excited for the next few weeks :)